The Sun. — London, England, 1838-01-11 00:00:00

COLONEL WEBSTER AND THE “LITERARY GAZETTE." The following letter has been addressed to the Editor of a Morning Paper : Sts--As you have published in your paper of to-day a letter of mine which appeared in the Literary Gazette of last Satur day, you will oblige me by inserting the enclosed. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, HENRY WEBSTER, Lieut.-Colonel. 31, Upper Brook-street, Jan. 8. " Great Marlborough -street, Jan. 8. Slr,—ln answer to your application to me for the name of the author of the " Diary of the Times of George 1V.," I beg to sal that the authorship of this work is a matter which has been Intrusted to me under the veil of secrecy ; but as I am able to declare to you that the writer is a lady, I trust you will see so necessity for urging any further disclosure. I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, " HENRY COLBURN. "P. S.—lt is a fact that without having the opportunity of seeing more than a few pages of its contents, I paid 1,000/. for the copyright of the entire manuscript. " To Lteut.-Colonel Webster, Upper Brook-street." We subjoin the following extraordinary correspondence re lative to a work recently puillisked.—. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LITERARY GAZETTE. Tuesday evening, Jan. SlR—Last night, on my r e t urn home late from Drury-lane Theatre, the last number of your journal was put into my hands, containing an extract from a work entitled " Diary, illustrative of the Times of George the Fo-rth, interspersed with original Letters from the late Queen Caroline, Ate. 2 vols. r Svo. Colburn." In this extract, one commencing at page lid of the above work, there is a story of a Lady —, whose conduct is re presented as so worthless se; to have beet iretrumental to wards the tragic death of her husband, from whom she con cealed their female child, feigned its death, buried a kid i n its stead at Leghorn, and behaved so " diabolicelly" that the result was the death of the unfortunate husband, who went mad and shot himself. You may readily imagine, as the son of the lady alluded to, at what time this morning I was at Mr. Celburn's residence. He had not come down; so I left word that, at half-past ten, a person would call on him, and at that hour I wee admitted. Mr. Colburn had not the slightest conception who I was; end, after alluding to the recent publication of the " Diary," I begged him to send me home a copy ; but before I went away I expressed a wish to see, in the book itself, if the extracts in the Literary Gazette of last Saturday were correctly given. A copy having been brought, we examined together the passage relative to Lady —; and I asked Mr. Colburn if that was not a dreadful tale, and one that, if true, might en danger any woman at a legal tribunal, but most certainly con demn her at the awful one of public opinion ? To this he fully erreed, but added that he did not at all know Who were the parties alluded to. After this important adrulssion, I said, "Do you know me, Mr. Colburn ?" He replied in the negative. " Then, sir, allow me to tell you lam Colonel Webster, a son of Lady Holland, to whom these remarks ap ply. The story of the kid being buried is perfectly true ; the tragic death of my father, Sir Geoffrey Webster is equally so, but the details here given are a compound of falsehood and absurdity, and are put together in a way calculated to give the deepest pain and unhappiness to my mother and her whole family. It is extremely fortunate fur you, sir, that the person now ed4ressing you is of a very moderate temper, and r.ot the most wasseptible of three other wear relations and connexions, who wed have taken up this matter with equal promptness, and UMW ability, perhaps, than myself, and who would pro bably *eft &c. thee editor of such shameful falsehoods. You need, how eves., appirehend nothing of that kind from me, provided im mediate steps are taken towards suppressing the account of a long past transaction, now ripped up at the end of nearly 40 years, for the sole purpose of giving pain and mortification." I then stated to Mr. Colburn, in the following conversation, th , t, previous to 1796, unfortunate differences had existed be tween my father and mother, whore he had left at Florence with her young family. Young, beautiful, wealthy, and clever, 1 I leave you, sir, to guess how much admired she was in one of the most seductive of the capitals of Italy. The result was almest natural, and is soon told. Left, I lament to say, almost abandoned by her husband, in this distant country, she threw herself into the anus of one of the most fascinating men of the day, alai when her children were, consequently, about to to torn from her by an order from England, she did feign the death of her youngest child —she did direct a kid to be bu7ical. at Leghorn in its stead, and, by every fond artifice that a tender mother could devise, site did succeed in holding to her bosom her youngest child. A discovery was sure to take place sooner er later. It eventually did, and the child, the present Lady Pellew, was token from her; but the only effect of this very pardonable offence upon ray father's mind was, that he al lowed this child to see it's mother oftener than the rest; and, so far from this transaction having env immediate offset upon him, it is with pain I state the fact of his unhappy deatk in 1800, about four years after the transaction, which the " Dia , y" says killed him. Instead of being ashamed of a prcceeding which, in my opinion, throws a great charm over the character of a mother, I consider it as aa example, which, end,: similar circumstances, every woman worth loving, or who posseessd a grain of feeling, wou'd have fellowcd ; and, so far from cherishing much resentment agianst you, Mr. Col burn, fur having put forth this garbled acceari, -I rejoice at the opportun;ty of being able, even on so h .se a foundation, to establish the simple tarts of an occurrenc has lain dormant for a very long time, and which has never, to any knowledge, been made a euhject of attack hi print against my mo.her. My tale, sir, is now told ; it is a long or a but, under the circumstances, not more so then is necessary. After detailing these facts to Mr. Colburn. I then said to bin:, " Yeu may imagine my feelings, and 11-. aye it to you to arrange in what scanner they shall cease to be outraged bs this publication. Of my future intentions regarding the unknown author you shall be duly informed." The result of my interview with Mr. Colburn was the foie owing letter, which he di,l not hesitate to add-ess to me : " 13, Great Ararlhorough-street, Jan. 2, 1838. " Sir,—Among the various annoyances to which publishing has exposed me, no one, perhaps, has caused me more vexa tion than the subject regarding which you have spoken to me. Tha very honourable aed feeling manner in which you have alluded to circumstances likely to give you the deepest pain induces me to offer, without a moment's delay, the era sure oi the passages in the a Diary,' which, from the very peculiar and minute details given, persous who have lived 30 years it the world, and especially in Italy, might aptly to the party yee allude to. " I feel greatly obliged to you for the manner in which you have pointed it out, aid I shall he ready to give you my best advice regardin g the lever y ou i nten d addressing the editor of the Literary Gazette, in which aper you fi rst saw t h e objec tionable p assage o f the weak.--lam, &c., (Signed) " HENRY COLBURN." I fait perfectly satisfied with this handsome expression of proper intentions on the part of Mr. Colburn, from whom it is my hemation to request the name of the author of the 44 Dal." If a man, I shall, upon meeting him, take such a course -4k upon cool reflection, I may think the circumstances may *Rey, tho world might approve, and my duty require ; and afterwards, in consequence of my having condescended to put rayeeli upon an equality with him, I shall offer him the satisfaction of a gentleman, either at Calais or Boulogne; be cause a man who could thus attack a woman would have no scruple , Is drag,ging me before a police magistrate. If the writer be a woman,* I can only lament her feelings and indif ferent taste. And if the writer be not living, I must say that the contents of the " Diary " shed no lustre on his or her memory. In apologising to you for this long, but hastily written let ter, which I hope you will do me the favour to insert in your journal, as a son, I could not think or act differently. I have read no more of the " Diary" than the passages which do apply to ray own family ; and should any others exist which may be viewed in the same light, it is my intention, after the handsome manner in which Mr. Colburn has acted, to treat them with the silence and indifference they beat deserve.—l have the honour, &c., HENRY WEBSTER, Lieut.-Colonel. 31, Upper Brook-street, Tuesday Evening, Jan. 2, 1838. It is generally rumoured that Lady Charlotte Bury is the 'writer. SKATING IN THE REGENT'S PARK.—Yester -Nlay skating commenced. The ice was good, excepting a rippling here and there • the finest and fi rmes t port i on was next to tile Marquis of Hertford's Hindoo pavilion. The per formers of eminence were--The Hon. Frederick Byng, Sir William Newton, Captain Trotter, Dr. Page, and the Rev. Cyril Page ; Henry and George Chilton, Esqs. ; Henry Hill yard and Edward Sheppard, Esqs.—all members of the skating club formed in 1830 out of the old club, the leading members of which were the present Duke of Argyll and the Earl of Jersey. Soon after noon two individuals fell in ; these accidents occurred from too many per one congregating together. Happily, except a ducking, no in orr enience arose to the parties. if the frost continues the marquee will be erected to-morrow, and abundance of god' caeer provided for the fair visitants. Skating has already eommenced on the Serpentine, and the men belonging to tha Humana Sccie:y are actively engaged in adopting precautins to prevent t !oss of life. Tuesday morning, as Mr. Read, the engraver, was inspecting the mechanism employed at the Bank of England for the printing of bank notes, and standing with his back to one of the steam engines, the skirt of his cloth great coat suddenly became entanglel with the cogs of the wheels then at work, and he was forcibly drawn towards the machine. Mr. Read, CM turning to ascertain the cause of the violence, at once discovered the eminent peril he was in, and loudly called for assistance. A friend of Mr. Read, a most powerful man, perceiving his situation, instantly rushed towards him, and seized him round the waist, at the same time giving him a vio lent jerk, which had the effect of separating the skirt from the body of the coat. Had it not been for the presence of mind and strength displayed by this gentleman, Mr. Read, ere he could have disencumbered himself of his coat, must have been a lifeless and mangled corpse. CHORLEY OPERATIVE CONSERVATIVE ORANGE ASSOCIATION.-Our townsmen of the above long -worded confraternity, w ill, d ou btl ess , h ave d u ly appreciated. cur en deavours in procuring for their stomachs a repitition of the annual festival of " re-action." This could not be—another fifty pounds of subscription from the clergy and gentry could not be forthcoming for the exhibition of gastronomy and speechification. Some of these days we will publish a list of subscribers, who gave their ten pounds, their five pounds, or their names, to scotch the Reformers of Church and State.— Preston Observer. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,—On the 23d of May last there appear©d a letter in the True Sun paper, from a Guardian of the Poor of the parish of St. Luke, to the Committee for conducting the affairs of the Houseless Poor in Play-house Yard, on the subject of that establishment ; and as that paper is now in corporated with The Sun (which I trust will be conducted on similar principles), I beg the favour of the insertion of this letter in The Sun. TO THE COMMITTEE FOR CONDUCTING THE AFFAIRS OF THE HOUSELESS POOR IN PLAYHOUSE-YARD. GYNTLEMEN,—In May last there appeared a letter in the True Sun, as above stated, pointing Gut what the writer considered omissions in that benevolent institution. As the inclement weather is now fast approaching, if not actually set in, and not hearing that any alteration is likely to take place in the management of that establishment, I beg leave respectfully to call your attention again to the distressing facts occasioned by the Houseless Asylum. You well know that this asylum invites the most distressed hu man beings from all parts of the metropolis and vicinity ; and it is the most unfortunate of human beings, with loss of character, who are the principal inmates of the asylum ; but it is much to be feared that, in addition to those, there will be very many applicants—the rejected of Unions—in consequence of that cruel and barbarous new Poor Law Act. I have no doubt but hundreds died last winter in this great metropolis from actual want, and from disease brought on by want. I have no hesitation in saying that many died in the parish of Saint Luke from that cause, who were refused admission into the Houseless Asylum ; but were supplied with a few pence from the asylum to get a night's lodging where they could ; many of them gave their pence to be admitted into cold empty rooms in the neighbourhood, without fire or food ; and there some perished before their situation was known to the parish officers. Others wandered about the streets until quite exhausted, and then picked up by the police, and taken to St. Luke's workhouse ; although every attention was paid them by the parochial authorities, many were past recovery, and died shortly after their admittaace. What I complained of in my former letter, and I now re peat it, is, that a surgeon attends the asylum at the time the poor are admitted, and if they are in good health, but in distress, they are admitted (so far so good) ; but if any of those unfortunate beings arc in an ill state of health, they are refused admittance, who, of all the most unfortunate beings in the world, stand the most in need of assistance and protection against the inclement weather. The act of refusing those sick poor mars the whole concern, as it is cruel in the extreme to the poor creatures, at which hu manity must shudder ; and it is also unjust to the perish of .St. Luke, as it is throwing a very heavy burden on the parish, and odium on the parochial authorities which (they do not merit. The rate-payers of the parish are uite sufficiently punished by the great influx of poor raven by this asylum, who were last winter discharged very morning to the number of 300 or 400, who wandered nil begged about the parish, until the time to return to the asylum in the evening. The rate-payers of St. Luke's parish are quite willing to support their own poor respect ably, as ti ey have hitherto done, without the interference of any new law, or to be burdened with an influx of poor from all parts of London and vicinity, drawn by the House less Asylum. That if justice and humanity is the object of your establishment, why not establish a temporary infir mary to the conc ern f or t h e s i c k poor, unt il t h ey can b e otherwise provided for ? If your funds are not sufficient, make it known, and you would soon be provided with funds ; if not, remove your establishment near to Somerset House, or St. Stephen's Chapel, that the supporters of the barbarous Poor Law Act may see what cruelty and op pression it produces. But, if the parish of St. Luke's is to ho the scene of misery and wretchedness with this asylum, surely the wealthy, and those who are spending their time in luxury and idleness, and who are hidden from these scenes of misery, will contribute liberally to this establishment to prevent as much as possible its be coming a burden too an already overburdened poor parish ; therefore once more, I beg you will take the subject into your serious consideration ; and in justice and humanity hope you will without delay provide en asylum for the un fortunate tick poor. 'Then, end not till then, will the esta blishment do much credit to the Directors, as the rej-c -tion of the sick poor mars filo concern. A GUARDIAN OF THE POOR OF THE PARISH OF ST. LUKE, MIDDLESEX. No. 27, Banner-street, Jan. 9, 1833. On Saturday last, a dinner was given to the Members for the borough of Cambridge, the Right Hon. Thomas Sprint Rice and George Parme, 'Esq., by a very numerous body of their constit uen t s . - In the course of his address, on returning thanks fur the healths of her Majesty'. Ministers, the Chan cellor of the Exchequer declared himself s stsady adherent of the old English Whig party, and said that his colleagues in the Government professed—and professed because they enter tained—the same principles. In speaking of the constituency of England, he observed :—" I say, if there is one thing which more strongly marks that middle class than another, it is the moderation and firmness of their opinions. It is that they are against both extremes. It is that they are resolved to maintain their liberty against old Tory principles—it is that they are cot anxious for uaprepa:cd and undigested alterations at the bidding of another party. I bcliare that to be the opinion of the middle class of England; end if that be so, it will consti tute a source of strength to our party which will support us on all occasions." We believe that this is the true state of the c..se; we believe that the bulk of the middle classes in Egg_ land—that is, the bulk of the constituent body—are not at all inclined to extensive and rapid political changes; and, conse quently, have very little sympathy, and are altogether indis posed to co-operation, with the more active, loud-speaking Radicals. We have at various periods heretofore brought forward particular facts which have struck us in corroboration of this opinion ; and it seems to us, that another confirmation may be supplied .by the recent fate of the True Sun news_ paper. Th a t j ourna l h a s unqu estionably been edited, since it has been in the hands of Mr. Whittle Harvey, with great talent ; yet the principles it advocated !ound so little favour with the public, that, after every costly, though not very lengthened experiment, is nroprietor, as the only means of escaping a further loss, has bean compellid to dispose of the copyright, and let the paper merge in The Sun. Nor is this a solitary case. Some time ago, the Radicals, Ling desirous to possess a morning organ of their opinions, acquired possession of the old Public Ledger, and changedits name to the Constitutional. This paper kept up a sickly existence for a few menths ; nct once, however, we believe, exhibiting the slightest premise of success; and at length came to an end. The result is, that Radicalism does not possess, because it cannot support, a sin gle daily newspaper devoted to its opinions. Nor can this fact be explained away by any representation, that the per sons, by whom the daily papers are chiefly taken in, are es sentially of an aristocratic class. Out of the metropolis the portion of private individuals, in the middle rank of life, who allow themselves the luxury of taking in any daily paper, is comparatively very small. Most persons read the Lon don journals at some public news-room, where papers of dif ferent politics are alike accessible ; and the numbers of the several papers respectively taken at these news-rooms are generally a sort of test of the cast of opinions most prevalent amongst the subscribers to them. Hence it follows, that, if the majority of the frequenters of news-rooms had been per sons holding the opinions advocated in the True Sun, that paper would have h a d th e greatest c i rculation ; but such no toriously was not the case. We believe, indeed, that its sale was less than that of any other London evening paper. It may, to be sure, be alle ge d, th a t i ts f a il ure as a commercial speculation was owing to the lowness of its price -4d. instead of 3d., the price of the other daily papers ; and, no doubt, this may have had an unfavourable effect on the concern, as a commercial speculation. But the circumstance tells two ways; for if an advantage of twenty per cent in price was not found sufficiently great to command a very extensive sale for &news paper edited with unquestionable talent, it is only a stronger proof how great must be the public dictate to the principles and opinions which it upheld. Yet in the face of these con clusions, we are quite prepared to find the Radicals again as coolly maintaining, that the people of England are of their way of thinking in politics, as they have done anytime these five years I--Manchester Guardian. Sir Robert Peel has built a very elegant structure, in the Gothic style of architecture, for a school for the educa tion of the poor children in the neighbourhood of Tamworth. The school was opened last weak, when the Hon. Founder addresssed the children, and awarded Bibles to several of the moat proficient of the young scholars. Afterwards the youth ful compeers for scholastic distinction were regaled with old English fare. It is understood that the quarrel about Church pa tronage between the bishops and the canons rasidentiary of cathedrals is now transferred from the former to the latter with the minor canons. These latter bodies have already held meetings to protest against the suggestions contained in the amended Bill on the subject of presentation to livings in the gift of the chapters. Those of St. Paul's held a meeting on the subject last Saturday. M. Rebier, the postmaster at Boulogne, who, as our readers will remember, in August last detected his wife in the arms of an individual named Geneau, and fired pistols at them both, wounding his wife as well as her paramour, was arraigned at the late assizes at St. Omer upon an indictment for an attempt to commit murder; but, the circumstances in provocation being proved, the Jury, without retiring, deli vered a verdict of acquittal. A most awful calamity occurred last Friday se'nnight in the family of a respectable farmer, named Gibson, in the parish of Killinkere, county Cavan. One of his children ac cidentally ignited a quantity of flax which had been stored in the house, and before discovery the whole premises were in flames. In endeavouring to rescue her infant child Mrs. Gib son got dreadfully scorched, and, overwhelmed with the loss of family and property, seemed to have resigned herself to death in despair, for she thenceforth made no effort to secure her escape. She would, consequently, have lost her life on the spot, had it not been for the exertions of her husband ; and he thus became a bodily sufferer in the distressing calamity which consumed two of his children, together with his house, offices, and everything contained therein. Mr. and Mrs. Gib son were conveyed to the county infirmary, where she expired on the following day. The unfortunate man has since died.— Fermanagh Reporter. THE SUN. LONDON, THVR STA'FE OF CANADA. (From the Scotsman.) We propose to devote this and corn* additional papers to a miscellaneous collection of facts and general views respecting the condition of Lower Canada. Ws shall have occasion to speak of its political organization more in detail afterwards, . but in the meantime we premise the following outline. The government is vested in 1. A Governor appointed by the King. 1. An Executive Council, nominated by the Governor, consisting of nine paid members, receiving 100/. per annum each, with sometimes a few unpaid honorary members. It corresponds to the Privy Council in England; its functions are to advise the Governor, to audit the public accouats, ecc. 3. ♦ Legislative Council of members nominated by the Crown for life, and meant to perform the office of a House of Lords. The original number of members was is, but 13 new ones were added in 183 Z and the Judges Trio had seats in it (two in number, we believe) were withdrawn. 4. A House of Assembly, consisting of 88 members, chosen for four years by the people. The Suffrage is not universal, as a Contemporary states. The franchise belongs in the coun ties to those who hold land of the value of 405. (445. 3d. currency) yearly; and in burghs or towns to 3/. proprietors, and 101. tenants. In 1831, the population of Lower Canada was 509,000. The French inhabitants were then to the English, according to Sir George Grey, as four to one ; in 1836, he thinks they were not more than as three to one, owing to the largo rein forcements which the latter received from emigration. Yet, at the last general election, " the British Protestant and mer cantile interest could not return one member out of eight for the cities of Quebec and Montreal ; and the British party in the divisions of the House of Assembly, has not numbered more than Bto 11 votes out of 88." This arises from the Bri tish settlers being so distributed among the French thaVhey are almost always a minority, and are opposed to a maYbirity firmly united in opinions and interests. In the six years since 1831 the population must have increased by procreation about 92,000, and adding 110,000 for emigration, the whole popula tion will now be about 650,000. The Protestants were to the Catholics in 1831 as eleven to forty : but some of the latter store Irish. This is the statement of Mr. J. D. Gibb, a member of the House of Assembly. There arc no direct taxes, except on licences for retailing spirits. The revenue, arising chiefly from the duties of customs, yielded 206,0001. in 1835, and 182,0001. in 1836. The average is 194,0001. But, adding about 6,000/. for sales of land and licences to cut timber, the whole amounts to 200,0001. gross receipts, and in currency ; equal to 170,0001. in British money. The taxes paid by the Canadians, therefore, amount only to ss. 3d. per head, which does not amount to one-tenth part of the sum taken from the pockets of their fellow-subjects in Britain, and is even less by one-half than what is paid by the Republi cans in their mighbourhood. Of these taxes, too, a port comes back to them ; for the Civil Government does not ab sorb one-half, and the residue is applied to the support of schools, and to other purposes for which a local tax would have been more appropriate. The Canadians are so happy as not to pay for their own de fence. Britain sustains that charge herself, and expends on it about a quarter of a million annually. In 1832 it was 208,0001. (for both Canadas), and must be more now. Her generosity, indeed, goes much farther. She has disbursed about two millions, we believe, within the last twelve years, on public works, chiefly on the Rideau and Welland canals ; and if she compels the colonists to pay a monopoly price for West India sugar, she more than indemnifies them by the million sterling she throws into their lap by the bounty uu the con sumption of Caeadian timber. Perhaps no colony in the world was ever so lightly taxed, or so liberally treated, in what regards its material interests. Yet Burke's maxim, that " rebellions are always provoked" holds true in the case of Canada. We iedulged the French population with their own laws aid customs, taxed ourselroo that we might spare their pockets, and conferred legislative privileges upon them to which they could never have aspired under their native rulers. J3ut we wounded their self-love ; and while we gave them a per which could only be safely lodged in a well-affected population, we galled them by out ward marks of inferiority. While lye-sixths of the people were French, five-sixths of all offices of trust, power, and emolument were in the hands of Englishmen. The Legisla tive Council, whose proper once was to reconsider and amend the acts of the popular body, beeante a mere engine for coun teracting the people's wishes, and upholding English or rather Tory supremacy. All this is in substance admitted by the Ceatmiesioners in their Reports. Since 1828, a more con cliatory policy has been pursued ; but it came too late, and was on too limited • scale to remere the alienation which the unwise proceedings of previous years had generated. _ _ The d mantis of the Assembly are 1. The introduction of popular election into the Legislative Council. 2. Tne direct responsibility of the Executive Council. They mean by this, that the Executive Council should be put upon the footing of the Cabinet Council or Administration in Britain ; that it should be compcsed of men who have the confidence of the ascendant party in the Representative Cham ber, and changed as often as the ascendancy passes from one pirty to another. 3. The immediate cession to the House of Assembly of the whole public revenues of the province, from whatever source derived, without any preliminary stipulation for a Civil List, or even for the continuance of a few life charges created on the hereditary portion of those revenues, befeoe the cession of his fVlajesty'i right to them was contemplated by Govern ment. 4. The repeal of the " Tenures Act" (G Geo IV., c. 59), and the Act of 1834, incorporating a Company to hold lands in Canada. 5. The surrender of the waste lands now in the hands of the Crown, to the controul of the Legisla.ure. • ACCIDENT IN THE FROsT.—Yesterday morning, between nine and ten o'c:ock, a liidv named iless,'lman, who resides in Upper Islington terrace, 'Pentonville, fell down on the toot yavenient nearly opposite to her own residence, owing to stepping on a slide made on the frozen snow, and such was the violence with which she fell, that both bones of the right about two inches above the uncle, were broken, and Pro t used through the flesh. The Post Ampt Gazette of Frankfort gives a letter from Cologne, dated the 25th ult.. stating that a young man o:that city, only 20 years of age, having written and pubtish,d a pastoral letter in the name of tie Archbishop, which had b.,en lately put in circulation, overcome with dread of being discovered, had thrown himself into the Rhine, and been drowned. DEPRAVITY.—WiIIiam Carpenter was indicted for stealing - a sow pig, the property of Edmund Cook, at Twin stead. The principal witness in this case was a lad, 14 years old, son of the prisiner. It appeared that whilst before the Nlagistrates and the Grand Jury, he stated that the sow was in the road on Christmas day, when his father told him to drive it to Halsted and sell it ; that he did sell it, but that he was apprehended before he returned home. On being exa mined in Court, this lad swore that he had not before stated correctly, but said it was a stranger who desired him to sell the pig, and who told him to bay it was his father. Persist ing in this story, the prisoner was acquitted, but the boy was detained, and afterwards fully committed for trial, for stealing the pig, ho being too young to be indicted for perjury.— .Esser Herald. • Between twelve and one o ' clock Monday morning the inhabitants of High-street, Poplar, were alarmed by the discovery of a fire in the shop of Mr. Seers, a general sales man. The family rushed to the second floor windows, when they were recommended to await the arrival of the parish ladders, which were, together with two excellent parish engines, promptly brought to the sp©t by the engineer end a party of police constables, and thus fortunately the family es caped, and were afforded shelter in the houses of their neigk bours, having at the time no other covering than their night clothes. Information of the ire soon reached the town engine stations, and by one o'clock, two of the brigade from Jeffreys and Wellclose-squares reached the spot, when they were in stantly well supplied with water and got into operation, but notwithstanding this assistance, and every exertion of the ire men, the whole of the stock and building belonging to Mr. Seers was completely consumed. The loos will fall on the Phmnix and Sun fire-offices. The policemen of Poplar are entitled to the highest praise for their prompt attendance and praiseworthy exertions. The origin of the calamity is at pre sent unknown. We have much pleasure in stating that the Rev. \Y. Carus Wilson, adopting the suggestion in our last week's paper, has come forward publicly to express his rtgret at having, in his letter to the Poor Law Commissioners, charged the Kendal Board of Guardians with " wanton cruelty," and disclaiming, in the most explicit manner, any intention to charge them with having starved to death any person whatso ever.—Lancaster Guardian. POOR LAW.—On Monday last a meeting, con vened by public advertisement, was held in a temporary erec tion, at the Shakspeare Inn, Bury, for the purpose of peti tioning Parliament for a repeal of the Poor Law Amendment Act. Mr. Daniel Bentley, in the Chair. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Fletcher, surgeon, of Bury ; Mr. Thomas Bird, of Bury ' • Mr. Richard Walker, of Radcliffe ; Mr. Richardson, of Manchester ; Mr. Mills, of Oldham, and se veral other gentlemen. Resolutions, strongly condemnatory of the New Poor Laws, and to petition Parliament for their repeal, were unanimously passed. wsw t e he t In consequence of the late heavy rains th e fl oo d i n the river Derwent has been greater than was ev er remem bered. On Thursday last the waters rose so hi g h , an d two rushed wooden with bridges suchidg esopposite impetuosity the down Highthe Torstream, were that swept away, the wreck being carried as far as Belper.—Stafford shire Examiner. BURCOTT MURDER.—The deceased gentleman, Mr. Adams, has left two sons and nine daughters to deplore his loss. On William Adams, the murderer of his father, being searched at the county gaol, after being fully committed for trial, he was found to have concealed about his person a small but strong cord, evidently for the purpose of self-de struction. The prisoner seeraed much mortified at having the cord taken from him.—Aylesbury News. DOGS v. HORSES.—The following curious chal lenge appears among the advertisements in the Vork Stand ard of the Ist instant :—" I will hack, for 200 sovereigns, hounds from my own kennel running a drag scent, t o b eat any horse carrying 10st., four miles over a fair sporti ng country; and mind you, by beating I do not mean a head or a length, but that the hounds shall be at the finish 240 yards before the horse, or, in plain words, the hounds shall distance the horses. My money is lodged in the Provincial Bank, Cork, where it shall lie fourteen days, to be covered, and whore the challenger's name and address will be learned on that being done," POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BO TV- S TR EE T. Arthur Battersby, alias Henry Napier Disney, late a Captain in the British Legion, in the service of the Queen of Spain, and formerly belonging to the Ist regiment of Life Guards, was yesterday brought before Sir F. Roc, for re-examination on a charge of bigamy. Mr. Bodkin appeared on behalf of the prosecution, and Mr. Flower attended as the prisoner's soli citor. Mr. John Charles Stovin, brother to the secoid wife, pro duced a certified copy of an entry made in the parochial regis ter of marriages celebrated at Welsborne, in Warwickshire, by which it appeared that, on the 15th of June, 1826, the prisoner was married, in the name of Arthur Battersby, to Ann Muckelstone, of that parish. This certificate was signed by Lord George Paulett, the present Vicar of the parish ; and the witness proved that he compared it with the register himself. Mr. BODKIN—In 1826 were you in the service of the Rev. Mr. Muckelstone, at Teignrnouth, in Devonshire? Witness —I was, and am in his service still. In that year was he residing in the parish of Welsborne, in Warwickshire ?-11e was, Sir. Had he at the time mentioned, and has he still, a daughter named Ann 7—Yes, Sir. Look now at the prisoner, and say if you recollect him?—l do perfectly well. Did he, in 1826, address Miss Ann Muckelstone, your mas ter's daughter, as a suitor ?—He did, Sir. Aid was he not married to her in that year ?—Yes, to the best of my belief he was. Sir F. Roe—Then this witness was not present at the mar- riage ? Mr. Bodkin—He saw the parties leave Dr. Muckelstone's house in a carriage on the morning of the marriage, and ac companied them to the church, and saw them at the altar. Sir F. ROE-Go on. Mr. Bodkin (to the witness)—Did you see the marriage ce remony performed at Welsborne Church? Witness—l did. After the marriage did the prisoner and the lady live to gether as man and wife ?—They did until the separation took place. What name did the prisoner go by ?—He went at that time by the name of Arthur Battersby. How long did they live together after they were married ? —They left for London on the morning of the marriage, and, I believe, they lived there for about five weeks. When did you last sue Mrs. Battersby ?—1 saw her on Mon day last at her father's house. How long has she been living under her father's roof ?—She has been living with her father ei,er since, about five weeks after the marriage, which will be twelve years in June next. Mr. Flower—Have not the parties been divorced? Wit ness—A separation, or something of that sort, took place between them. Mr. Stovin was again called forward. Sir F. Rox-1s your sister here? Mr. Stovin—No, sir, she is not. Mr. Bodkin—l hare no hesitation in saying that this busi ness has had such an effect upon the young lady as to render her attendance here impossible. Mr. Flower—lt is most desirable, on the part of the pri soner, that she should he here, because I am given to under stand that she is wholly averse to this proceeding. At least, so I have been told. • Mr. Bodkin—l dare say you hare been told so, but we can prove the contrary, and further, that she is quite unfit to at tend. How, Mr. Stovin, can you account for the absence of your sister? Mr. Stovin—l can ; for I know that her state of mind is such as to unfit her to appear as a witness here. Tho mere mention of the transaction, or the name of the prisoner, throws her into fits. Mr. Bodkin—Do you know if she is averse to this proceed jog? Mr. Stovin—l belive she is not. A young lady, named Drummond, on the 14th of last August, witnessed the marriage of the prisoner in Burleigh street Chapel, Strand, with Mary Ann Stovin. She was a subscribing witness to the ceremony. Mr. Bodkin—By what name was the prisoner married on that occasion? Witness---He was married in the name of Henry Napier Disney. Mr. Bodkin--Did you know them to be living together as man and wife after that marriage? Witness—Yes; they lived in Dudley-grove. Mr. Stovin was then recalled. Is your sister entitled to any property ?—She is. And is she not a ward in Chancery ?—She was at the time of the marriage. Mr. Flower—When did she cease to be a ward in Chancery ? Mr. Stovin—On the 13th of November last. Mr. Bodkin—That is my case. Sir F. Roa—Well, Mr. Flower, what have you to say ? Mr. Flower—lt certainly appears from the evidence that this man has o marriedfihelotn7 separation wives; bu to of the p should ri s o h r o i epre and that, the ladycon sequence i who was his first wife, together with the fact of the divorce , that you will at least admit him to bail. Sir F. RoE—No ; I do not think I should be justified in doing so under the circumstances of the case ; and as you have mentioned bail, I am bound to say, without in the slightest degree desiring to prejudice the prisoner, that an application has been made to me, claiming him as a deserter from the Ist Regiment of Life Guards ; but, as it is my intention to com mit him for trial upon the charge, I shall write to the com manding officer at Windsor, stating the fact of his being sent for trial on a criminal charge. A gentleman who was on the bench, and who was under stood to be attendance from the Court of Chancery, here said that the prisoner was ordered to attend before the Lord Chan cellor on the following day. Mr. Flower—Well, but how is the poor man to attend every where ?—( Laughter. ) Sir F. Ron—lf the Lord Chancellor requires his atten dance, I suppose he must be removed by habeas corpus. The witnesses were then bound over to appear before the Grand Jury at the next session of the Central Criminal Court, to give evidence against the prisoner on the charge of bigamy ; and in the mean time he was fully committed to Newgate. As soon as lie was removed from the bar to the cell at the rear of the office, he was visited by three gentlemen, two of whom served him with citations from the Ecclesiastical and Prerogative Courts ; and the third, who was the gentleman already mentioned, placed in his hands an order signed by the Lord Chancellor, directing hint to appear before his Lordship to-morrow (this day), to answer for the contempthe committed in marrving a Ward in Chancery without the consent and ap proval of the C)urt. The prisoner, who is a very fine-looking man, is said to have acted with great bravery in fighting against the Carlists in a battle which took place hear St. Sebastian, when he lost his right arm. The Rev. Mr. Muckelstone, the father of his first wife, is described as a gentleman of very large fortune, hav ing only a son and daughter to whom his property will de volve. The prisoner was a great favourite with the family until a circumstance occurred soon after the marriage, which compelled his wife to apply to the ecclesiastical court for a separation, which was granted a niensa et thoro, but the pro ceeding was not followed up in the Holm of Lords. The fortune of Miss Stovin is said to be considerable. The prisoner was attended by a servant in livery, who was locked up in the cell with his mister, and subsequently accom panied hire to Newgate. At the commencement of the proceedings, when the pri soner was asked his name, he answered Henry Napier Disney. STATE OP T RADE .—Th ere was no change in t h e market yesterday, as compared with the preceding week. The flatness usually consequent upon the Christmas holidays still continued ; and though there were many inquiries, very little business was done. It was stated that in some eases rather lower prices 'were accepted for some descriptions of yarn, and for power-loom cloth ; but we believe that instances of this kind were exceedingly rare, and they certainly did not represent the general feeling in the market.—Manchester Guardian. Yesterday, at Bow-street, Henry Napier Disney, who was brought up on the t.'4th ult., on a charge of bigamy, was fully committed for trial. Mr. John Charles Stovin, brother to the lady last married to the prisoner, produced an extract from the parish register of Wellborne, in Warwick shire, proving that the prisoner (under the name of Battersby) was married in the year 1826 to a daughter of Dr. Muckle stone. Owing to the heavy rains and tremendous storm which took place on Wednesday night and Thursday morning last, the river Don, in many places, has completely overflowed its banks, and the fields and meadows in various directions are one sheet of water. This circumstance has, of course, stepped tke navigation, and the vessels at Docken-hill and elsewhere are completely water-bound. —Doncas ter Chronicle. Yesterday morning, between nine and ten o'clock, a lady named Hesselman, residing in Upper Islington-terrace, Pentonville, fell down on the foot pavement nearly opposite to her own residence, by stepping on a slide made on the frozen h wasthe le leg, io a l b e o n u c t e t w w i o th in w oh h e ic s h ab s o h v e e fell, the that both bones a n d u o f s t c i right enc l e , were broken. The unfortunate lady is sixty-three years of age. snow; S E ALS.—Cupid, under various circumstances, is pressed into the service of many se a l s. I h a ve s ee n him ridin g on a lion, fancifully interpreting the power of love over valour and strength ; carried pick-a-back by the devil, the splenetic motto being, " Ls diabk emport l'amour :" playing at football with the Prince of Darkness, their globulus being a world—the motto, "Entre nous :" he is also made a waterman, and forced to try an oar for the convenience of old Father Time : again, he is a fisherman, and exultingly tells you, " J'attrape says e t Pons ;" a blacksmith hammering on an anvil, and forging chains ; or a link-boy dispensing light around, whilst he him self continues blind. An ingenious friend of mine, who would fain be considered a perfect Gayferos in love, has, to that end, adopted for his motto, " Constant to the last." If (as it may be) he means in this to leave a loop-hole through which to let his conscience glide, be deserves whipping; if as a serious conr fession of faith, he can hardly receive too much praise.— Bentley's Miscellany. Some Poles in Paris, it seems, have played off a cruel hoax upon Dr. Wolowski, one of the personages who made so distinguished a figure in a late law suit, in which the Duke of Hamilton a.nd the Earl of Lincoln were concerned. Dr. Wolowski is of a family that embraced Christianity for the purpose of being admissible to certain civic rights, from which the Jews are excluded in Poland. This class of con verts are extremely unpopular among all Poles, whether Christians or Jews. Immediately after the late decision by which the two doctors were condemned to receive the very liberal remuneration offered them by the Earl of Lincoln, some' Poles inserted paragraphs in the Paris papers, stating that the doctors had distributed the money adjudged to them among their Jewish co-religionaries in the French capital. There appears to be no foundation for the munificence so gra tuitously attributed to these medical gentlemen. THE GHOST STORY. The LORD MAYOR received tbo following communica tions on the subject of what took place at the Mansion house on Monday, relative to the individual who is said to be occupied in winning a wager by appearing in various terrific characters at night in the villages round the me tropolis : " My Lord Mayor—The public are much indebted to your Lordship for bringing forward the letter as stated in yesterday's Mansion-house report. Although there is yet no authenticity given to that part of the letter in which it is stated lamentable accidents have arisen from this wicked prank, that it has been played off lately to a considerable extent in the neighbouring villages I can assure your Lord , ship to be a fact. " In the neighbourhood of Hornsey, where I have a re sidence, some scouldrel has been alarming the inhabitants, ix these disguises ; and I heard yesterday in our news-room at Guildhall, from one of the Deputies, that the same trick has been played off near Kingston ; and from a respect able person in Cheapside that Hertfordshire had been simi larly ♦isited. " It is stated that some individual (gentleman he has been designated) drives about with a livery servant in a cab, and throwing off a cloak appears in those frightful forms, and is to win a wager by the joke—if it be a joke—one that is very likely to produce the catastrophes detailed in the letter, but which, till the writer comes forward and ac knowledges it, cannot be considered as fact. " I should rather incline to think it is some determined thief, wbo visits houses in the absence of the heads of the families, and who seeks by this method of at once paralyzing the energies of the servants, to obtain and escape with his booty on easy terms. " I shall shortly remove my family from my town resi dence to that above stated, where, it I catch Mr. Ghost on any part of my premises, I shall administer that to eis sub stantial part that if ever he re-appears it shall be only his aerial essence, or as a ghost in fact. " Other heads of families in my neighbourhood having expressed the same determination, I trust the ghost will soon be laid. Meantime publicity to the matter will do good, and attract the notice of the authorities without the City. " I have thb honour to be, my Lord, " Your Lordship's most obedient humble servant, " Bow-lane, Jan. 10, 1831. " THOMAS LOTE." The writer of the following letter also gives his name, but we are not at liberty to publish it : " New Boswell-court, Lincoln's Inn-fields. "My Lord—l am induced to address your Lordship on the subject of the Peckham ghost, to which I perceive, by this morning's papers, your attention has been called. I will premise that I am an Acting Magistrate for this county, and a Practising Barrister. I mention this as a guarantee that I will not improperly trespass upon your Lordship's valuable time. " Some few weeks ago an old female domestic, who lived in my service many years, and who now resides in respect able circumstances, as the wife of a decent tradesman at Hammersmith, called upon me, and, in the course of con versation, informed me that the females of Hammersmith and its vicinity feared to walk abroad after nightfall, in con sequence of the molestations of a ghost or monster to which they were exposed. " At first I, with your Lordship, thought this visitation in the nineteenth century, so near the metropolis, and with such a well-organized police as we now have, too absurd for belief ; but, on further inquiry, I ascertained that several young women had really been frightened into fits—dangcr ous fits—and some of them had been severely wounded, by a sort of claws the mircreant wore •n his hands. I ex- pressed my surprise that the attention of the police had not been called to this nuisance. My informant assured me that repeatedly their vigilance had been aroused on the subject, but the fellow or fellows bad been adroit enough to elude capture. I have that reliance on the witness I allude to, that 1 have no doubt she reported facts. " On perusing your Lordship's observations this morn ing, which were precisely of the same kind as my own when I first heard of the matter, I deemed it my duty to com municate the above fact to your Lordship. " I will take an opportunity of more minutely inquiring into this affair should the investigation, which the police will no doubt now institute, fail of fully detecting the mis creants who are undoubtedly working real mischief, though under a childish and grotesque guise.—l am, my Lord Mayor, &c. &c." " To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor—Your Lordship, will, I trust, pardon the liberty I have been induced to take in addressing your Lordship. My rea son for so doing is to inform you that the letter you re ceived a few days ago respecting some person who makes it his delight to frighten. the peaceable inhabitants of the su- burbs of the metropolis is not without foundation. He has frightened several persons in Stockwell, Brixton, Camber well, and Vauxhall, and has caused the death of several, and many instances can be proved of his frightening peo ple into fits. Hoping you will not think lightly of this mat ter, I am your Lordship's bumble and obedient servant, " AN INHABITANT OF STOCKWELL." The following communication was addressed to Mr. Hobler : "'There have been rumours in St. John's Wood and its neighbourhood for the last fortnight of the appearance of the monster alluded to in the police-report of yesterday at the Mansion House, inserted in the Times this morning. " The bet is, however, understood to be of an even far more grave nature than is there stated, and if it be true amounts to murder. As far as the writer has been in formed the bet is that the monster shall kill six women in some given time. " It is asserted that he has been seen in St. John's Wood, clad in mail, and as a hear.—Jan. 9, 1838." " My Lord—On reading the letter in the Chronicle of this day, received by your Lordship, I perceive that you are not inclined to give credence to the account furnished by your correspondent. The villain mentioned in it as appear ing in the guise of a ghost, bear, and devil, has been, within the last week or two, repeatedly seen in Lewisham and Blackheath. So much, indeed, has he frightened the inha bitants of those peaceful districts, that women and children dare not stir out of their houses after dark. There ought to be a stop put to this ; but the police, I am afraid, are frightened at him also. " I have the honour to remain, your Lordship's most obedient servant, " J. C." The LORD MAYOR said it was evident that considerable terror had been excited by the appearance of some man or men in the outlets of the metropolis in disguise, and that a great deal of mischief might arise from a panto mimic display at night in retired and peaceful neigh bourhoods, but he thought from the first that the grossest exaggerations must have been made in fun as well as in fright on such a subject, and he be lieved it to be quite impossible that there could be any real foundation for the report that the ghost performed the feats of a devil upon earth by clawing and tearing the flesh and clothes of poor people. He also withheld his credence from the statement that so many ladies had been frightened to death, although he had been given to understand from authority which he could not question that one of the female servants of a gentleman who resided near his house at Forest-hill, beyond Peckham, was a short time since terrified into fits by the sudden appearance of a figure clad in a bear's skin, which, upon being drawn aside, exhi bited a human body in a suit of mail, and with a long horn, the emblem of the King of Hell himself. Mr. HOBLER believed that there were stories about the ghost all round the metropolis, and that in all probability the matter would one day end in a good ducking. That some mischievous fellows, who deserved to be well trounced, were at work, there existed no doubt. The LORD MAYOR hoped that the fears entertained would soon vanish altogether. He had the satisfaction to know now that he would have the assistance of a barrister and an attorney, whose names and respectability he was acquainted with ; and all he could say was, that if two lawyers could not make a fool of the devil himself between them, he did not know who the devil could.—(A laugh.) AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL DlN ?alt.—The anniversary festival of the agriculturists and hor ticulturists was held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand, yesterday. Mr. Glenny presided, supported by Cap tain Blakoley and Mr. Pownall, the late candidate for Middle sex, and upwards of 150 gentlemen connected with agricul tural and horticultural pursuits from all parts of the kingdom. The health of her Majesty the Queen, the Royal family the army and navy, and the usual public toasts were given from the chair and received in the accustomed manner. A great number of excellent glees w ere sung b y the vocalists present, under the direction of Mr. Rhodes, and some very beautiful instrumental music was performed by the band of the Horse Guards Blue, which was in attendance. Mr. Carlisle, of Romford, a gentleman celebrated for the cultivatton of the grape vine, and se vera l ot h er gentlemen, addressed the companyin the course of the evening, and ex patiated on the importance of agricultural and horticultural science. On the toast" Success to A gr i cu l ture " b eing drunk, Mr. Pownall spoke in praise of the pursuits of agricul ture, and in the course of his s p eec h expressed a wish that every cottager in England might p ossess a fli tch of bacon i n his cu pboard, and good culinary vegetables in his garden. On the health of Mr. Tyler, of the Surrey Zoological-gardens, being drunk, that gentleman returned thanks in a speech which was received with loud cheering, and expressed himself to be most happy to be able to contribute by his exertions to the promo tion of science, and by means of the exhibition which occa sionally took place in the gardens with which he was connected, to the cultivation of botanical knowledge and the knowledge of natural history, which was in fact at the present moment a branch of liberal education. On the health of the Chairman being drunk, that gentleman returned thanks in an appropriate speech. The company did not leave the room till a late hour, and seemed highly delighted with the good I cheer furnished by the landlord and the entertainment of the I evening. THE ARMY. The following moves of depots have taken place in Ire. land : 15th depot from Nenagh to Buttevant. 34th depot from Cashel to Fermoy. 61st depot from Templemore to Cashel. 66th depot from Templemore to Fermoy. 73d depot from Clare-castle to Cork. 93d depot from Armagh to Cork. The service companies of the 11th Regiment. in place of proceeding- direct from Gibraltar to Quebec, are to be disem barked at Bermuda, and there remain until their services may be required in America. Major-General John Clitherow, formerly of the Scots Fusileer Guards, has been appointed to a command in Ca nada, for which colony he embarks at Liverpool on Tucsday next. The undernamed officers appointed to a particular service in Canada (see last Gazette) sailed from Liverpool for that c luny on the Bth inst. : —Lieutenant- Colonel Cox, Majors Williams and Al' Mail, and Captains De Rottenburg and Swale.. The following embark on Tuesday next for the same destina tion :—Lieutenant-Colonels Gascoigne, fickle, and Loring, Major Head, and Captain Jasper Creagh. If we are to judge from the manner in which the cavalry has been selected for Canada, we should be inclined to suppose that the depot system, so much complained of in the infantry, is about to be extended to this arm of the service, as out of the five squadrons intended for America, three are to be taken from the Quecn's Dragoon Guards, and the remaining two from the 7th Hussars, thus leaving at home a squadron of each regiment, and giving us very ample cause for our sur mises. LIFE-INSURANCE.—The subject of Life-Insu rance is one which deserves the serious consideration of a very large class of the community, And it is a subject which, it must be confessed, is increasingly attracting attention. It affords to many in the middling and higher ranks many of the advantages which are afforded by benefit-societies and saving b-inks to the lower ; nay, the lower ranks themselves may be nefit by it. Still, it is to be feared, that many whose peculiar circumstances, it might have been thought, would have led them to adopt such a laudable means of providing for those who are dependent upon them, neglect to do so; and we can scarcely take up a newspaper of any extensive circulation, without meeting with heart-rending appeals to the generosity of the Christian public, in behalf of widows and orphans accustomed to move in ranks far above the lowest, but who have bean reduced to a state of absolute destitution by the removal of a husband and parent, whose whole income depended upon some situation which he filled, who lived up to the full amount of that income, and who was perhaps cut off in the prime of . . life. There can be little doubt that the number of such cases would be materially decreased, and that there would be a vast diminution of much heart-rending poverty--and, perhaps, no species of poverty is more heart-reading than that too fre quently presents itself in those who have been accustomed to live in comparative comfort—were every father of a family to bear in mind, that he is imperatively called upon, on every principle of Christianity as well as of common humanity, to make as ample a provision as he can, in the case of his de cease, for those whom he is bound to support while he is alive. Many a sad tale of destitution might be unfolded of the misery into which a family has been plunged by the re moval of a father, while there was scarce sufficient property left to afford the necessary expenses of a decent burial ; and which might have been wholly prevented had there been due forethought and common prudence.—Church of England Magazine. MR. HORACE SMITH'S NEW NOVEL, " JANE LoMAx."—ln this work the author hag opened a new vein. He feels that in the fashionable novels too much importance is attached to the affairs of a class chiefly interesting to us at this day as the depositaries of wealth and power, that in those which assume to represent the middle class an act of injustice is committed, inasmuch as individuals of, this rank arc only introduced for the purposes of ridicule. The vulgarity which is occasional is represented as characteristic, and the covert purpose seems to be, not to correct the vices of this class, but to play the game of the class above them. Our author, there fore, with an almost romantic abjuration of romance, has at once fixed his scene in Bermondsey and Shad Thames, al if on purpose to be as elaborately removed from all taints or uspicion of Grosvenor-square as it was possible ; and well and nobly has he succeeded. He has strewed flowers about the place that will give it a new odour from this time forward— Eagle Wharf itself is now an interesting spot.—Atlas. D'EoN.—Some anecdotes have lately been published relating to the Chevalier D'Eon, whose character was long involved in mystery. Facts relating to his early life have long since appeared properly authenticated, but little has been pub lished respecting his latter days, which he chiefly spent in this country, and died at Bath about thirty years ago. While in England he dressed in female clothes, and appeared to be a corpulent old woman. When invited to dinner parties, after drinking a bottle of Madeira, before the cloth was removed, he retired with the ladies. His voice was gruff, appearance masculine, and his manners too uncouth for a female. It was customary annually for Philidor, the celebrated chess-player, to have a benefit at Parsloe's Club-house, who played blind folded against two chess-players, one of whom generally was D'Eon. Latterly he became acquainted with Mrs. Bateman, who practised fencing, and with this lady made his appearance in the Dublin theatre, where they fenced together and else where to attract company. The audience of Dublin did not relish the joke, but pronounced the " fat old lady a man," and the manager lost by the speculation. Soon after D'Eon died, previous to which he had an annuity from the Prince of Wales, as being a heroic female. His toast after dinner was always "Le Prince des Prince." While in female attire, he always wore the cross of St. Louis. After his death his body under went a post.mortern examination. MR. BULWER'S NEW NOVEL, " ERNEST MAL TRAVERS."-We consider " Rienzi" as the master-piece of Mr. Bulwer in romance, and up to the appearance of this work we had thought " Pelham" the best of the novels, but it is sur passed by Ernest Nlaltravers ; the higher design of which— the illustration of the man of genius—has been wrought out with a higher excellence. " Pelham" is more pointed and brilliant in parts, but the aim of" Maltravers" ranges above point and brilliancy—it is more even on a more lofty level. We fancy that we can here mark the difference between the young author who seized upon the attention of the public by sparkling thoughts and epigrammatic effects, and the writer of assured reputation, confident of being followed as he pur sues his story, and regardful only of what pertains to the de sign or the action of it. The handling of this work is indeed eminently easy and steady. Nothing appears strained in it ; there is the smoothness of the most perfect facility, and there is the product of the greatest powers of authorship. We have read it with an interest and an admiration not to bo expressed in the hackneyed terms of praise. The ♦ariety, the still advancing merit, and the rapidity of Mr. Bulwer's productions, altogether make a phenomena in literature. -- Examiner. THE ZEAL OP LAWYERS FOR THEIR CLIENTS. —Everybody who has been in our courts of law must have been struck with the amazing zeal which counsel mani fest for the interests of their clients. There is an earnestness in their manner which could not, in appearance, be exceeded, were they engaged in a case which affected the life of their dearest friend. I have always looked on barristers as a spe cies of theatrical actors. Their zeal for their clients is assumed, when about to make their speeches, just as a tragedian assumes the character he is about to represent. Were it real ; did they actually feel as intensely as they appear to do, they would be the most unhappy beings on the face of the earth. Only fancy Sir William Follett, Mr. Serjeant Talfourd, or any other member having a large practice, feeling as deeply af fected as he seems to do, at the alleged wrongs of his nume rous clients 1 Why, in such a case, counsel would literally sink under the heavy load of their sympathetic woes. How lightly, notwithstanding all their warmth and energy in the cause of their clients, they really feel for those clients, is a fact which is often proved by their leaving court the moment they have finished their speeches, and never, perhaps, after wards troubling themselves to inquire into the result of the action. It consists with my own knowledge that this is no un common thing, though the result is of course communicated to them, sooner or later, by some means or other.— The Bench and the Bar, by the Author of " Random Recollections." A KANGAROO.--A friend of ours, not remark able for his geographical knowledge beyond the bounds of the parish, was lately employed to transact some business in Ar ran, which required him to travel a distance. In the mean time, a wag having made him believe there were no regular roads in the island, but on the contrary it was full of rocks and moss-hags, and in performing his journey that he would be obliged to leap from rock to rock, and from one h a g to another, he immediately returned the papers to his employer, observing, at the same time, " Hang it, do you take me to be a Kangaroo."—Ayr Observer. SILVER TEA AND COFFEE SERVICES. — T. COX SAVORY, 47, Cornhill, London (Seven Doors from Gracechurch-street), offers for selection an elegant and most exten sive assortment of Silver Tea Services, ♦arying in price from 151. to 301., th• service of Teapot, Sugar Basin, and Milk Ewer. The ground-floor, and first, second, and third floors, are fitted up ex pressly for the display of Plate and Plated Goods, and a Pamphlet is given gratis, with Drawings, and a list of prices. T. CO% SAVORY, Goldsmith, Watchmaker, and Silversmith, 47, Corn hill, London. BIRTHS. On the sth inst., at Heanton Satchyille, Devon, the Right Hon• Lady Clinton, of a son. On the 9th inst., the lady of John White, Esq., surgeon, Storey'o Gate, Great George-street, Westminster, of a son. On the 31st alt., at Torquay, the lady of Edward Willes, of a daughter. MARRIED. At Enfield, on the Bth inst., the Rev. S. Wright Gardner, Cu rate of Mynyddyslvryn, Monmouthshire, to Eliza, daughter of Wil l ' Foam, Esq., of Freezy Water. DIED. On the Bth inst., in Jermyn-street, St. James's, Major Jam?' Leslie Day, of the Bengal Army, and of the county of Kerry, 111 Ireland, aged 51. On the 6th inst., at Bisley, Gloucestershire, Daniel Watkins, E.g., in his 69th year. On the 7th inst., at Malverit.Cottago, Islington, Henrietta, "'i f. of Jevon Harper, Esq., and daughter of the late Rev. R. R ice ' Rector of Eaton Hastings Berk-a. On the 23d ult., at Un ' derhills, near I3letchingley, Surrey, Jo b Campbell, E sq ., l ate Li eut.-Colonel of the 60th Foot, an d formerly President of the Island of Tobago. o• London; Printed and Publishod by MURDO YOUNG, o f nt i 112, Stra n d, at Th e S e' Oif i ce, Na. 111, Strand, i n the CO°— of Middlesex.—Thursday, January 11, 1838.